Curling brooms

ABSTRACT

A curling broom presenting a handle having the lower end reinforced by a tubing which forms an extension to the upper end of a laminated fabric paddle; a ring carried by the tubing; said paddle comprising a central plate which is outer reinforced by tapered overlays that are weakened at selected locations for paddle flexibility; said paddle enclosed by synthetic foam for free paddle movement, noise absorption and enlargement of the broom; a napped sock enveloped over the above parts and upper secured to said ring by a draw string; and a frictional sleeve over the upper part of the sock to compress the synthetic foam around the tubing.

United States Patent 1 Thompson Feb. 20, 1973 CURLING BROOMS [76] Inventor: Albert N. Thompson, 93 Fontainer Crescent, Windsor Park, Winnipeg 6, Manitoba, Canada [22] Filed: Nov. 3, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 86,459

[52] US. Cl. ..l5/2l0 R, 15/171, 15/244 CH, 15/247 [51] Int. Cl. ..A47l 13/16, A63b 67/14 [58] Field of Search ..15/l60, 244,171, 168, 169, 15/210 R, 228,143 R [5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,269,424 l/1902 Bernstein ..15/228 3,605,164 9/1971 Harris ....15I210 R 209,017 10/1878 Boult ..15/l71 1,025,300 5/1912 Pendergast 15/171 2,202,695 5/1940' Kinney ..15/l7l X 3,474,535 10/1969 Kramer ..15/143 R X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 818,155 7/1969 Canada ..l5/l60 1,356 l/l9ll GrcatBritain ..lS/228 Primary Examiner-Daniel Blum Assistant ExaminerAlan l. Cantor Attorney-Stevens, Davis, Miller & Mosher [57] ABSTRACT A curling broom presenting a handle having the lower end reinforced by a tubing which forms an extension to the upper end of a laminated fabric paddle; a ring carried by the tubing; said paddle comprising a central plate which is outer reinforced by tapered overlays that are weakened at selected locations for paddle,

flexibility; said paddle enclosed by synthetic foam for free paddle movement, noise absorption and enlargement of the broom; a napped sock enveloped over the above parts and upper secured to said ring by a draw string; and a frictional sleeve over the upper part of the sock to compress the synthetic foam around the tubing.

2 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEU 3,716,885

INVENTOR Albert N. Thompson a; t %w ATTORNEY CURLING BROOMS In the early days of curling, the original and conven- I tional curling brooms were manufactured from broom straw which was secured to one end of a handle. very much in the manner of present day household brooms. This type of construction was expensive and time consuming as it was usually done by hand. While it produced a resilient light and compact broom, the straws were inclined to spread out or apart as the broom was used, thus reducing the wipe effect, while the naturally brittle straw was inclined to break, thus leaving pieces on the ice which interfered with the free movement of later curling rocks. Still further development of curling brooms was directed towards reducing the above drawbacks and resulted in a curling broom the head of which is composed, essentially, of a flexible paddle enclosed by a synthetic foam, the synthetic foam being in turn surrounded by a napped material which polishes ice during the sweeping operation.

Although the latter modification of the curling broom head resulted in an improvement in that no straw pieces have been left on ice, it also created some problems with regard to flexibility of the broom head, which was not as satisfactory as the flexibility of the straw brooms.

It is therefore a principal object of the present invention to provide an improved manufactured curling broom, which not only reduces or eliminates debris on the ice during the sweeping operation but also has an improved flexibility of the broom head. The broom polishes said ice while a flexible paddle enclosed by a pair of synthetic foam sheets gives improved flexibility.

A further object of the invention is: to provide an improved curling broom, reinforced by the above mentioned paddle which is laminated such that the broom can be produced in various degrees of stiffness and so satisfy the most exacting requirements required.

A further object of the invention is: to construct the improved curling broom for extreme flexibility during contact with the ice, and so accommodate the various angles at which the handle may be held.

Still further objects of the invention are: to construct the improved curling broom in a simple, economical and durable manner, for simplicity of assembly, reasonable cost and long efficient service, while also assembled in a knock-down construction such that worn or broken parts can be easily replaced.

With the above important and other minor objects in view, which will become more apparent as the description proceeds, the invention consists essentially in the design, construction and arrangement of the various parts hereinafter more particularly described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the lower part of a completed improved curling broom.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged section through the broom shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the individual parts disclosed in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged vertical cross section through the paddle of the broom and taken on the dot and dash line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is the same as FIG. 4, but showing a modified construction.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

The lower part of a round broom handle is indicated at 10. This lower end is passed through an anchor ring 11 of round material. The handle then passes into the upper end of a tubing 12 for possibly half the distance theredown, and such that the tubing forms a rigid extension of the handle. To insure this rigidity, a bolt 13 is passed through the tubing and the handle, and such that the outer projecting ends (the head and nut) support the ring 11. The lower end of the tubing is cutaway on two sides, as shownat 14, to bifurcate the end and form a clevis 15 which straddles the upper end of a paddle 16, now to be described.

The paddle 16 comprises a central rectangularshaped laminated plate 17 which is preferably made from three ply fabric belting. The lower end of the plate is curved, as at 18, while the upper comers are mitered, as at 19, to a short flat top. A pair of downwardly and inwardly tapered laminated overlays 20 and 21, preferably made from four ply fabric belting, are centrally and suitably secured to the plate, as by adhesive or rivets 22. The upper ends of the overlays conform to the upper end of the plate 16 to complete an enlarged webbed head 23 to which the clevis 15 is secured by a pair of rivets 24 for a solid holding of the paddle to the tubing 12. While the laminated fabric material of the paddle is pliable, this flexibility is further increased by a series of cross cuts 25 adjacent the bottom of the overlays, as shown in FIGS. '3 and 4.

It will be noted that the handle 10 is not only secured to the reinforcing tubing 12, but through this tubing is also firmly secured to the enlarged head 23 of the paddle 16. Accordingly, when the handle is operated in a sweeping manner, the rigidity of the handle extends down to the head of the paddle, while the lower end of said paddle is quite flexible, due to the tapered ply overlays. To give even smoother flexibility to this lower end, the plies of the overlays may be consecutively cutaway (see FIG. 5) at 26 in a step-like formation in place of the cross cuts 25 of FIG. 4. It is also contemplated to pass rivets 27 through the paddle at the lower end of each overlay, or between the cross cuts 25. Or, the whole paddle may be formed from individual plies held together in any suitable way, as by adhesive, rivets or staples (not shown). By judiciously widening or narrowing the overlays or step stripping the plys (FIG. 5) or providing selective cross cuts (FIG. 3), the flexibility of the lower part of the paddle can be regulated to any degree desired by a curler, and this flexibility extends angularly as well as directly across the paddle.

To provide a soft smooth ice-contacting broomhead, including resiliency, and insulate against paddle noise during the sweeping, the said paddle with the tubing 12, is snugly received within a muff-like pocket 28 of synthetic material, known in the trade as Polyurethane Foam. This foam is formed into a pocket having the upper corners cut-away, as at 29, and the lower corners also cut-away, as at 30, and such that the foam can clingingly press against the surfaces of the paddle sides to dampen any vibrations which might tend toward noise, while permitting freedom of movement to the paddle, as it bends under pressure of the broom against the ice surface in the sweeping operation. At the same time, the bottom of the foam easily retracts as the contact is made to present a relatively pile-brushing broomhead surface.

A covering sock 31, preferably of a synthetic fiber such as Nylon, forms the final container for the above parts. This sock has a lower rounded bottom 32 corresponding to that on the paddle, while its upper end is inwardly folded and sewn to provide a hem 33 for the reception of a drawstring 34. One upper corner of the sock is also cut away at 35 for emission of the drawstring ends. This sock is passed over the synthetic foam 28 and the tubing 12, as shown in FIG. 2 and the drawstring is then tightened and tied over the ring 11 for the retention of all parts in their respective positions. It might also be mentioned at this time that the outer surface of the sock has-a nap which has the quality of picking up loose material as it passes thereover. Accordingly, due to the bellowing-out of the foam 28 within the sock, this nap provides a carpet-like broom for polishing the ice as the broomhead is operated thereover.

To finish off the shape of the curling broom, an annular strip of suitable fabric 36 is drawn down over the upper part of the sock to compress the upper ends of both it and the synthetic foam 28 around the tubing 12, and so lock said foam against downward slippage. The strip is held in this position by friction and can be color decorated and also used to advertise various information in regard to the broom.

From the above it will be seen that I have produced a very light, and what might be termed a knock-down type of curling broom, which depends upon a flat resilient napped paddle-shaped sock as the sweeping agent instead of the old conventional straw. The paddle inside the sock defines the shape of the broomhead, gives strength thereto and in combination with the synthetic foam is designed to flexibly conform the sweeping surface to the ice over which it operates, irrespective of the angle at which the handle is held, and this flexibility can be varied in manufacture to accommodate any stiffness required, simply by altering the taper of the overlays, the groove cuts thereacross or the step formation of the plys, while the head of the paddle is rigidly held to the bottom of the handle. This paddle flexibility when combined with the clinginess of the synthetic foam, plus the nap of the sock, gives a bodiness to the broomhead for perfect conformity and wiping polish to the surface of the ice. As the various parts wear or break, the drawstring can be released for withdrawal of the sock and the damaged parts quickly removed, repaired or replaced, thus materially lengthening the life of the curling broom.

What I claim as my invention is:

of said handle; at least two overlay plates secured in a face-to-face fashion to said paddle plate, each of the overlay \plates being secured to one of the two surfaces of said paddle plate, a substantial portion of the side edges of said overlay plates converging downwardly, whereby the flexibility of said paddle means is gradually increased in the downward direction;

. said overlay plates being provided with transverse cuts to provide for flexing weakness to the flexible paddle means.

2. A flexible paddle means for a curling broom, in-

cluding:

a. a tubular member, one end of said tubular member being bifurcated, the other end of said tubular member being arranged to receive one end of a handle of said broom;

b. a flat, elongated, flexible paddle plate, substantially corresponding in shape to the outer shape of the curling broom, one end of said paddle plate being secured to the bifurcated end of said tubular member, longitudinal edges of said paddle plate being substantially parallel to the axis of said tubular member;

. at least two overlay plates, each having two longitudinal edges, each of the overlay plates being secured to one of the surfaces of said paddle plate, a substantial portion of each longitudinal edge of said overlay plates converging in the direction from said tubular member towards the opposite end of said paddle plate, whereby the flexibility of said paddle means is gradually increased in the direction from said tubular member towards the opposite end of said paddle member;

d. said overlay plates and said paddle plate being located with their one end in the bifurcated portion of said tubular member and fixedly connected thereto, the rest of the surface of said overlay plates being fixed to each other and to the paddle plate by a plurality of rivets. 

1. A curling broom including a handle, one end of which is secured to a broomhead, said broomhead including a flexible paddle means, a synthetic foam envelope enclosing said paddle means, a sock arranged over the envelope, said flexible paddle means comprising: a. a flat, elongated, flexible paddle plate, substantially corresponding in shape to the outer shape of the broomhead, said plate extending downwardly from said one end of the handle, with side edges of said plate being substantially parallel with the axis of said handle; b. at least two overlay plates secured in a face-to-face fashion to said paddle plate, each of the overlay plates being secured to one of the two surfaces of said paddle plate, a substantial portion of the side edges of said overlay plates converging downwardly, whereby the flexibility of said paddle means is gradually increased in the downward direction; c. said overlay plates being provided with transverse cuts to provide for flexing weakness to the flexible paddle means.
 1. A curling broom including a handle, one end of which is secured to a broomhead, said broomhead including a flexible paddle means, a synthetic foam envelope enclosing said paddle means, a sock arranged over the envelope, said flexible paddle means comprising: a. a flat, elongated, flexible paddle plate, substantially corresponding in shape to the outer shape of the broomhead, said plate extending downwardly from said one end of the handle, with side edges of said plate being substantially parallel with the axis of said handle; b. at least two overlay plates secured in a face-to-face fashion to said paddle plate, each of the overlay plates being secured to one of the two surfaces of said paddle plate, a substantial portion of the side edges of said overlay plates converging downwardly, whereby the flexibility of said paddle means is gradually increased in the downward direction; c. said overlay plates being provided with transverse cuts to provide for flexing weakness to the flexible paddle means. 